I Tried Starbucks Blonde Espresso and Here’s My Honest Review

Starbucks recently released a new Blonde Espresso — the brand’s first new espresso in over 40 years. The company claims the light roast holds just as much caffeine as its dark sibling, but is smoother and sweeter.

Seeing as I am already a Starbucks devotee (I blame this on the shop being across the road from our office), I was maybe a little too excited to order my regular (a non-fat vanilla latte) in its new and presumably improved form. And yes, I am an uncivilized weirdo who orders iced coffee in the midst of an arctic blast.

Anyway, I’ve always heard that blondes have more fun — and it turns out that blonde roasts taste better. From the first sip of my plastic coffee chalice, I was enamored.

This goes out to all the people who like their coffee to not really taste like coffee: You will love this drink. It’s silky and smooth, and it does not taste burnt like the traditional dark-roast espresso.

And the baristas cut down on the flavored syrup additives in drinks made with the new blonde roast, because there’s a naturally occurring sweetness in this espresso. That makes it a health drink, right? No? Fine.

Courtesy of Starbucks

But honestly it’s so easy to suck down that myself and my co-workers (who I may or may not have coerced into trying the drink) didn’t even allow time for the ice to melt. Nothing is more disgusting than a watered-down coffee. (OK, actually — I can think of a few things.)

Starbucks says you should expect bright, sweet citrus notes with hints of lemon, orange, and caramel — but I didn’t taste that at all. I just tasted coffee, except nicer. Then again, I don’t think I want my coffee tasting like fruit, so I’m not mad.